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ILLIAMCONWAY 

AND  THE  CONWAY  CELE 
BRATION  AT  CAMDEN,  ME. 
AUGUST  THE  THIRTIETH 
NINETEEN  HUNDRED  AND  SIX  **♦ 


Qass S.-5^i 


^'^^^■^s^:  7     The.    la^a-l     \e.j'i'J^     o^Th?.     VI. 'J, 

William  Conway 


AND 


The  Conway  Celebration 


AT  CAMDEN,  MAINE 
AUGUST  30,  1906 


PORTLAND,  MAINE 

LEFAVOR-TOWER  COMPANY 

1006 


6'- 


Qift 


OkAvcLurtu 


W  D 


O 


These  monuments  of  manhood,  brave  and  high, 
Do  more  than  forts  or  battleships  to  keep 

Our  dear-bought  liberty .      They  fortify 

The  heart  of  youth  with  valor  wise  ayid  deep  ; 

They  build  eternal  bulwarks,  and  command 

Eternal  strength  to  guard  our  native  land. 

—  Henry  Van  Dyke. 


WILLIAM  CONWAY, 
A  FORGOTTEN  CAMDEN  HERO. 

By  Acting  Master  John  O.  Johnson. 


WILLIAM  CONWAY 

FROM  A  SKETCH    FROM  LIFE  BY 
WILLIAM    WAUO. 

Copyright  1887,  by 
The  Century  Co. 


THIS  is  the  story,  long  forgotten,  of  the 
first  patriot  of  the  War  of  the  Rebellion, 
and  of  the  first  surrender  of  the  forces  of 
the  United  States  Navy  to  the  rebels.  I 
have  reference  to  the  disgraceful  surrender 
of  the  United  States  Navy  Yard,  at  War- 
rington, near  Pensacola,  Fla.,  January  12, 
1 86 1,  which  was  wholly  brought  about  by 
the  traitorous  acts  of  officers  holding  com- 
missions in  and  wearing  the  uniform  of  the 
United  States  Navy.  It  is  a  long  and 
interesting  story  of  which  very  little  is 
known.  I  do  not  intend,  however,  to  give 
it  in  detail  —  simply  enough  to  establish  the  record  of  a  patriot. 
As  often  happens  he  was  a  man  from  Maine,  and  he  was  but  a 
bluejacket. 

The  officers  of  the  yard  at  that  time  were  as  follows :  Com- 
mandant Captain  James  Armstrong,  an  old  man  who  had  served 
in  the  navy  for  more  than  fifty  years  ;  he  was  a  midshipman  in 
the  War  of  18 12,  and  had  recently  been  invalided  home  from  the 
command  of  the  squadron  in  India  with  chronic  diarrhoea,  from 
which  he  was  a  great  sufferer.  When  he  was  ordered  to  that 
station  from  his  home  in  Boston,  he  protested  against  it,  saying 
that  he  was  too  old,  and  too  feeble  to  be  ordered  to  that  climate. 
But  his  protest  was  without  avail.  He  went,  leaving  his  family 
at  home,  with  the  hope  that  within  a  few  months  at  most  he 
would  again  be  ordered  North.     His  only  associates  were  the 


officers  of  the  yard.  The  two  officers  who  were  nearest  to  him 
in  rank  and  position,  and  the  ones  looked  to  for  advice  and  coun- 
sel, were  traitors  to  their  country,  though  officers  in  the  United 
States  Navy,  and  both  of  them  were  from  the  North, 

The  executive  officer  of  the  yard  held  the  rank  of  commander. 
His  name  was  Ebenezer  Farrand,  and  he  belonged  to  New 
Jersey.  The  next  in  rank  was  Lieutenant  F.  B.  Renshaw,  from 
Pennsylvania.  These  two  were  brothers-in-law,  both  their  wives 
being  southern  women,  both  traitors  in  disguise,  and  both  doing 
their  utmost  to  deceive  the  old  commandant  in  every  possible 
way,  to  the  end  that  the  yard  should  be  surrendered  to  the  rebels 
of  Florida :  for  be  it  remembered  that  the  Confederate  States 
had  not  yet  been  formed.  Farrand,  the  executive  officer,  stood 
naturally  nearer  to  the  commandant  than  did  any  other  person. 
He  was  intended  to  be  the  right  arm  of  the  commandant,  and 
being  a  man  of  northern  birth.  Captain  Armstrong  could  not 
bring  himself  to  believe  that  an  officer  so  circumstanced  was 
doing  all  he  could  to  blind  his  eyes  and  to  lead  him  astray  as  to 
the  real  condition  of  affairs.  But  that  officer  was  covertly  play- 
ing into  the  hands  of  the  secessionists  every  moment  of  the  time. 

A  few  days  before  the  surrender  of  the  yard,  the  gunboat 
"Wyandotte,"  Lieutenant-Commander  O.  H.  Berryman,  arrived 
at  the  yard  from  Key  West,  and  the  store-ship  "  Supply,"  Com- 
mander Henry  Walke,  also  arrived  with  stores  from  New  York. 
Neither  of  these  vessels  amounted  to  much  for  offensive  pur- 
poses, but  they  could  have  defended  the  yard  against  all  offend- 
ers had  they  been  ordered  to  do  so.  The  "  Supply  "  was  on  her 
way  to  Vera  Cruz,  but  had  called  at  Pensacola  to  land  supplies. 
These  were  the  only  vessels  there,  and  they  had  not  been  in 
port  twenty-four  hours  before  Commanders  Walke  and  Berry- 
man,  as  well  as  their  officers,  began  to  distrust  the  loyalty  of 
the  officers  of  the  yard,  especially  Farrand,  and  his  aid  and 
brother-in-law  Renshaw.  They  saw  but  too  plainly  how  com- 
pletely the  venerable  and  perplexed  commandant  was  in  the 
hands  of  the  traitors  by  whom  he  was  surrounded,  and  among 
whom  the  northerners  were  the  vilest  of  all. 


There  were  three  forts  in  the  vicinity  of  the  navy  yard,  namely 
Forts  McRee,  Barrancas  and  Pickens,  which  that  rebel  sympa- 
thizer. Secretary  of  War  Floyd,  had  prevented  being  reinforced. 
But  on  January  3,  1861,  the  headquarters  of  the  army  at  Wash- 
ington had  awakened  from  the  lethargy  that  Secretary  Floyd 
had  purposely  put  upon  it  long  enough  to  send  an  order  to 
Lieutenant  A.  J.  Slemmer  of  the  army,  who  was  commander  of 
the  three  forts,  to  take  measures  to  prevent  either  of  the  forts  in 
Pensacola  harbor  from  seizure  by  surprise  or  assault,  consulting 
first  the  commandant  of  the  navy  yard,  who  would  probably 
have  instructions  to  co-operate  with  him.  This  order  reached 
Lieutenant  Slemmer  January  9,  but  he  knew  very  well  that  he 
would  be  unable  to  hold  the  three  forts  with  but  forty-six  men, 
all  the  force  he  had.  He  decided  to  abandon  Forts  McRee  and 
Barrancas,  which  were  on  the  main  land,  and  occupy  Fort 
Pickens  which  was  on  Santa  Rosa  Island,  at  the  mouth  of  Pen- 
sacola harbor,  if  it  was  possible  for  him  to  do  so.  What  could 
be  thought  of  the  loyalty  and  intelligence  of  the  headquarters  at 
Washington  which  at  the  eleventh  hour  could  dictate  such  an 
order ! 

Calling  on  the  commandant  of  the  navy  yard  immediately, 
Lieutenant  Slemmer  found  that  that  officer  was  in  receipt  of 
orders  from  the  Navy  Department  to  co-operate  with  him  in  his 
measures  of  defence,  and  he  received  from  him  ( Armstrong  ) 
the  assurance  of  assistance  in  every  way,  including  the  services 
of  the  "  Supply"  and  the  "Wyandotte."  The  commandant  said 
that  he  did  not  think  that  he  could  hold  the  navy  yard  if 
attacked,  but  promised  to  have  Slemmer  and  his  command, 
together  with  supplies  and  ammunition,  taken  over  to  Fort 
Pickens' at  one-thirty  P.  M.  on  that  day,  January  9. 

But  no  sooner  had  Lieutenant  Slemmer  left  the  office  than 
the  treacherous  Farrand  slipped  in,  and  so  worked  upon  the 
mind  of  the  old  man  that  he  failed  to  keep  faith  with  Slemmer. 
Farrand  made  Armstrong  believe  that  it  would  be  an  outrage, 
a  crime,  to  co-operate  with  this  young  army  lieutenant,  and  so 
provoke  a  bloody  conflict  with  the  Florida  state  troops   that 


would  hand  down  his  name  in  perpetual  execration  everywhere 
throughout  the  country.  In  this  strait,  Lieutenant  Slemmer 
again  visited  the  commandant  and  remonstrated  with  him  for  his 
failure  to  keep  his  promise.  Finally,  in  the  presence  of  Farrand, 
Berryman  and  Renshaw,  Captain  Armstrong  gave  orders  for  the 
"Wyandotte"  to  be  at  the  wharf  at  Barrancas  at  four  o'clock 
P.  M.,  on  that  day  in  readiness  to  transport  the  garrison  to  Fort 
Pickens. 

Nevertheless  the  "  Wyandotte  "  did  not  move  that  day.  Far- 
rand had  evidently  gotten  in  his  dastardly  work  again.  His 
game  was  delay.  He  was  in  constant  communication  with  the 
rebels  at  Pensacola,  but  nine  miles  away.  He  knew  that  within 
forty-eight  hours  they  would  demand  the  surrender  of  the  navy 
yard,  and  he  hoped  the  way  to  occupy  Fort  Pickens  would  be 
opened  also.  At  eight  o'clock  the  next  morning,  which  was  the 
tenth.  Lieutenant  John  Irwin  of  the  "  Wyandotte  "  went  to  Fort 
Barrancas  with  a  big  scow,  which  the  army  folks  at  once  loaded 
with  provisions  and  ammunition,  brought  together  all  the  other 
boats  they  could  collect,  without  orders  from  the  commandant,  and 
towed  them  all  across  the  harbor  to  Fort  Pickens  ;  Lieutenant- 
Commander  Berryman  also  transferred  from  his  ship  to  the  fort 
thirty  ordinary  seamen  and  thirty  stand  of  arms.  At  this  time 
the  old  captain,  under  the  malign  influence  that  he  could  not 
escape,  and  distracted  by  the  complications  surrounding  him, 
began  to  give  such  erratic  and  contradictory  orders  that  Com- 
mander Walke  of  the  "  Supply"  and  Lieutenant-Commander 
Berryman  of  the  "Wyandotte"  made  up  their  minds  that  their 
principal  business  was  to  co-operate  with  Lieutenant  Slemmer 
of  the  army  in  making  Fort  Pickens  secure  from  the  attack  of 
the  rebels. 

On  the  day  of  the  occupation  of  Fort  Pickens,  Lieutenant 
Erben,  of  the  ''Supply,"  now  Rear-Admiral  Erben  (retired), 
went  down  to  Fort  McRee  with  a  boat's  crew  from  the  "  Sup- 
ply," and  threw  into  the  sea  all  the  powder  stored  there,  to 
prevent  its  falling  into  the  hands  of  the  rebels.  Twenty-two 
thousand  pounds  were  thus  destroyed.     When  he  returned  from 

8 


that  duty  Lieutenant  Erben  went  on  shore  in  the  evening, 
called  at  the  commandant's  house  and  reported  what  he  had 
done,  and  as  the  navy  yard  was  being  threatened  by  the  rebel 
troops  at  Pensacola,  volunteered  to  destroy  the  ammunition  in 
the  naval  magazine  located  a  short  distance  outside  the  navy 
yard. 

Captain  Armstrong  sent  for  Farrand,  to  advise  with  him  in 
relation  to  the  matter.  That  officer  immediately  advised  the 
arrest  of  Erben  and  sending  him  on  board  ship,  asserting  that 
he  (  Erben )  was  drunk.  But  this  the  commandant  refused  to 
do.  At  this  Farrand  rose  up  in  great  rage,  and  throwing  a 
chair  at  Erben's  head,  left  the  room  in  great  abruptness.  Erben 
remained  for  a  short  time,  talking  with  the  commandant,  and, 
bidding  him  good  night,  departed.  The  moment  he  got  outside 
the  front  door  Farrand,  who  had  been  lying  in  wait  for  him  on 
the  piazza,  stepped  up  to  him  and  shaking  his  fist  in  his  face 
exclaimed  : 

"  D you,  I  will  teach   you  how  to  treat  your  superior 

officers." 

He  was  so  violent  that  Erben  caught  him  by  the  throat, 
saying : 

"  D you,  I  will  have  you  hanged  as  a  traitor,  as  you  are." 

They  rolled  off  the  piazza  in  their  struggle,  and  Erben  land- 
ing uppermost,  Farrand  began  to  shout  for  assistance.  At  this 
Renshaw,  who  had  been  in  hiding  in  the  shrubbery,  came  to 
Farrand's  assistance.  But  Assistant  Surgeon  W.  A.  King,  of 
the  "  Supply,"  who  had  come  on  shore  with  Erben,  came  up  on 
Erben's  side,  and  the  two  traitors,  seeing  a  row  very  imminent 
in  which  they  were  likely  to  come  out  second,  ran  off  to  the 
other  quarters,  telling  the  officers'  -wives  that  Erben  intended  to 
blow  them  all  up, 

Farrand's  whole  conduct  had  been  so  unmistakably  disloyal, 
that  Erben  and  the  other  loyal  officers  of  the  navy  had  deter- 
mined to  seize  him  at  the  first  opportunity  and  carry  him  on 
board  ship.  Lieutenant  Berry  man  said  that  he  would  receive 
him   on  board  the  "  Wyandotte,"  and  if  necessary  put  him  in 


the  coal  bunkers  for  safe  keeping.  But  Farrand  was  too  wary. 
He  felt  that  he  was  suspected  and  obnoxious  to  the  ofificers  and 
men  on  board  the  ships,  and  that  the  best  measure  of  personal 
safety  for  him  was  to  keep  away  from  the  water  front.  He 
could  not  be  induced  to  approach  the  wharf  on  any  matter  of 
duty  whatsoever.  Had  he  ventured  there,  he  was  sure  to  have 
been  seized,  and  he  seemed  to  have  had  such  a  presentiment. 
He  carried  things  with  a  high  hand  at  the  upper  end  of  the 
yard  with  the  distracted  old  commandant ;  but  when  he  looked 
in  the  direction  of  the  wharf,  and  saw  the  old  flag  under  which 
he  had  been  educated,  his  conscience  made  him  a  coward. 

•'  He  made  a  narrow  escape,"  says  Erben  ;  "for  had  he  been 
captured  he  would  never  have  got  on  shore  again."  And  Lieu- 
tenant Erben  goes  on  to  say  that  whatever  orders  Captain  Arm- 
strong gave  for  the  protection  of  the  yard,  Farrand  without  his 
knowledge  would  countermand.  Farrand  knew  the  very  hour 
that  Victor  M.  Randolph  would  present  his  rebel  forces  at  the 
gate  of  the  navy  yard,  and  was  there  to  receive  and  welcome 
him,  dressed  in  the  full  uniform  of  a  United  States  naval  officer ; 
while  Captain  Armstrong  was  kept  in  entire  ignorance  of  the 
whole  affair  and  did  not  know  that  the  rebels  were  approaching 
till  they  were  reported  at  the  gate,  and  the  two  commissioners 
selected  by  the  governor  of  Florida  were  conducted  to  him  by 
Farrand.  All  the  details  of  the  surrender  were  conducted  by 
Farrand,  even  to  the  punishing  of  the  faithful  old  quartermaster 
for  refusing  to  haul  down  the  flag  in  surrender  when  ordered  to 
do  so  by  the  traitor  Renshaw. 

This  faithful  old  seaman  was  William  Conway,  of  Camden, 
Me.  He  had  obeyed  the  order  to  stand  by  the  halliards,  but 
when  ordered  to  haul  down  the  flag  in  capitulation  he  said  :  "I 
will  not  do  it,  sir  !  That  is  the  flag  of  my  country  under  which 
I  have  served  many  years.  I  love  it ;  and  will  not  dishonor  it 
by  hauling  it  down  now." 

Renshaw  had  to  do  the  traitorous  work  with  his  own  hands, 
and  then  he  and  Farrand  set  about  punishing  the  old  quarter- 
master by  putting  him  in  irons  for  his  fidelity  to  the  old  flag, 

lO 


which  they  had  dishonored  while  holding  the  commission  of  an 
officer  in  the  United  States  Navy  ;  for  Farrand  resigned  on  the 
sixteenth  and  Renshaw  on  the  twenty-first,  after  they  had  surren- 
dered the  yard  on  the  twelfth.  Their  resignations  were  accepted 
by  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  when  they  should  have  been  dis- 
missed with  dishonor  and  hung  when  caught.  Erben  says  that 
the  yard  easily  could  have  been  defended,  had  the  "  Supply " 
and  "  Wyandotte  "  been  ordered  up  to  protect  the  approach  to 
the  yard,  which  was  a  road  that  ran  for  a  half  mile  along  the 
beach.  As  it  was,  the  feeble  old  commandant  was  so  hood- 
winked and  muddled  by  his  traitorous  officers,  that  he  surren- 
dered to  a  rabble  of  about  four  hundred  Florida  and  Alabama 
troops.  The  two  ships  in  the  offing  hoisted  all  the  flags  they 
had  in  defiance  of  the  disgraceful  surrender. 

In  the  surrendering  of  this  navy  yard,  we  have  the  very  sin- 
gular and  striking  circumstance  of  a  captain  in  the  United 
States  Navy  acting  as  a  commissioner,  appointed  by  the  gov- 
ernor of  Florida,  to  receive  the  surrender  of  the  property  of  the 
United  States  in  the  name  of  the  State  of  Florida,  a  territory 
the  United  States  had  purchased  from  Spain  but  forty-two 
years  before,  and  had  spent  millions  for  the  protection  of  its 
people  in  the  war  with  the  Indians,  known  as  the  Florida  War. 
The  two  commissioners  appointed  by  the  governor  of  Florida  to 
receive  the  surrender  of  the  navy  yard  were  Colonel  W.  H.  Chase, 
of  the  Florida  state  militia,  and  Captain  Victor  M.  Randolph,  of 
the  United  States  Navy.  Florida  passed  the  ordinance  of 
secession  January  lo,  1861.  On  that  day  Randolph  sent  in  his 
resignation  as  a  captain  in  the  United  States  Navy,  and  on  the 
same  day  was  appointed  a  commissioner  by  the  governor  of  the 
seceded  State.  But  his  resignation  papers  did  not  reach  Wash- 
ington till  after  the  surrender  of  the  yard. 

A  court  martial  was  held  at  Washington  on  the  conduct  of 
Captain  Armstrong  in  relation  to  his  surrender  of  the  Warring- 
ton Navy  Yard,  near  Pensacola,  Fla.,  on  the  following  charges  : 

I  St.  Failing  to  take  the  ordinary  and  proper  measures  for 
the  defence  of  said  yard  and  property. 


1 1 


2d.  Disobedience  of  orders  and  conduct  unbecoming  an 
officer. 

This  court  convened  at  Washington,  February  8,  1861,  and 
consisted  of  the  following  officers  :  Captain  George  W.  Storer, 
president ;  Captain  Elie  A.  F.  Lavallette  and  Captain  Levin  M. 
Powell.  After  a  long  session,  Captain  Armstrong  was  found 
guilty  on  both  charges  and  was  suspended  for  five  years,  half 
that  time  without  pay. 

It  was  during  this  trial  that  the  noble  conduct  of  the  old 
quartermaster  was  brought  to  the  front,  and  the  following  report 
n  relation  thereto  was  sent  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy : 

Washington,  D.  C,  April  3,  1861. 
The  president  and  members  and  judge  advocate  of  the  court  lately  held 
in  the  City  of  Washington,  D.  C,  for  the  trial  of  Commodore  Armstrong,' 
beg  leave  respectfully  to  submit  to  the  Honorable  Secretary  of  the  Navy, 
the  propriety,  justice  and  good  policy  of  bestowing  some  appropriate  mark 
of  its  approbation  of  the  loyalty,  spirit  and  good  conduct  of  William  Con- 
way, quartermaster  of  the  navy  on  duty  at  the  navy  yard  at  Warrington, 
Fla.,  when  the  same  was  surrendered  on  the  twelfth  of  January,  1861  ;  who 
with  manly  pride  and  in  a  spirit  of  patriotic  devotion  refused  to  obey  the 
order  to  haul  down  the  national  flag  on  the  occasion  of  that  surrender.  The 
evidence  of  this  honorable  devotion  to  the  dignity  and  credit  of  the  flag  of 
his  country  is  found  in  the  record  of  the  testimony  in  Commodore  Arm- 
strong's case.     Respectfully  submitted  by  order  of  court. 

A.  B.  Magruder,  Judge  Advocate. 

To  this  report  Secretary  Welles  added  these  words : 

It  appears  from  the  testimony  taken  in  Captain  Armstrong's  case  that 
William  Conway,  an  aged  seaman,  doing  duty  as  quartermaster  in  the  War- 
rington (Pensacola)  Navy  Yard  at  the  time  of  its  surrender,  when  ordered 
by  Lieutenant  Renshaw  to  haul  down  the  national  flag,  promptly  and  indig- 
nantly refused  to  obey  the  order.  The  love  and  reverence  thus  impulsively 
exhibited  for  his  country's  flag  in  the  hour  of  its  peril  is  not  the  less  worthy 
of  being  called  noble  and  chivalric  because  displayed  by  one  in  an  humble 
station.  It  is  the  more  deserving  of  commendation,  for  subordinates  in  the 
service  are  not  usually  expected  to  set  examples  of  patriotism  and  fidelity  to 
their  trusts,  but  to  follow  them.  The  department  deems  it  no  more  than 
strict  justice  to  William  Conway  that  this  testimonial  from  the  court  in  his 

1  He  is  elsewhere  in  the  papers  referred  to  as  "  Captain  Armstrong,"  and  January  12,  1861, 
he  signed  the  letter  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  announcing  the  surrender,  "  James  Arm- 
strong, Captain  United  States  Navy." 

12 


behalf  should  be  made  known  throughout  the  service.  It  therefore  directs 
that  this  general  order  be  publicly  read,  as  early  as  practicable  after  its 
receipt,  by  the  commander  of  all  naval  stations  and  all  vessels  in  the  navy  in 
commission  in  the  presence  of  the  officers  and  men  under  their  command. 

The  following  is  the  order  of  Secretary  Welles  to  Flag 
Officer  McKeen,  United  States  Navy,  commanding  Gulf 
Blockading  Squadron,  for  the  transmission  of  a  gold  medal 
to  Quartermaster  Conway,  and  other  communications  relative 
thereto  are  added : 

Navy  Department,  November  ii,  1861. 

Sir: —  I  herewith  transmit  a  letter  from  the  department  to  William  Conway, 
who  is  on  board  one  of  the  vessels  of  your  squadron,  together  with  a  gold 
medal  presented  to  him  by  his  countrymen  in  California,  as  a  testimonial  of 
their  appreciation  of  his  conduct  in  refusing  to  haul  down  the  flag  of  his 
country  at  the  surrender,  at  Pensacola,  to  the  rebels,  on  January  12,  1861. 

A  copy  of  the  letter  addressed  to  William  Conway  by  the  citizens  who 
presented  the  medal,  and  of  the  letter  of  Major-General  Halleck,  the  bearer 
of  it  to  the  department,  is  also  submitted. 

You  will  please  to  have  the  medal  handed  to  William  Conway  on  the 
quarter-deck  of  the  vessel  to  which  he  belongs,  in  the  presence  of  the  officers 
and  crew  thereof,  and  the  correspondence  read  at  the  same  time.  I  am, 
respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

Gideon  Welles. 

Navy  Department,  November  11,  1861. 
Sir  : —  It  'gives  me  great  pleasure  to  cause  to  be  delivered  to  you  the 
accompanying  letter  and  gold  medal  from  your  countrymen  in  California, 
presented  to  you  as  a  testimonial  of  their  high  appreciation  of  your  noble 
and  patriotic  conduct  in  refusing  to  haul  down  the  flag  of  your  country  while 
others  (your  superiors  in  position)  were  wanting  in  fidelity  to  it.  I  also  for- 
ward a  copy  of  the  letter  of  Major-General  Halleck,  who  was  selected  as  the 
bearer  of  these  testimonials,  and  by  his  request  I  have  directed  them  to  be 
transmitted  to  you  —  which  you  will  please  to  accept  with  the  assurance  of 
my  regard.     Very  respectfully, 

Gideon  Welles,  Secretary  of  the  Navy. 
William  Conway, 

United  States  Gulf  Blockading  Squadron. 

Washington,  D.  C,  November  6,  1861. 

Sir  : —  I  have  received  from  certain  citizens  of  California  the  accompanying 

letter  and  medal,  to  be  delivered  to  William  Conway,  quartermaster  United 

States  Navy,  as  a  mark  of  their  appreciation  of  his  noble  conduct  in  refusing 

to  haul  down  the  flag  of  his  country ;  but  as  I  am  unable  to  see  Mr.  Conway 

13 


personally,  I  respectfully  request  they  may  be  transmitted  to  him  by  the 
Navy  Department.     Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

H.  W.  Halleck,  Major-General  United  States  Army. 
Hon.  Gideon  Welles,  Secretary  of  the  Navy. 

San  Francisco,  September  20,  1861. 
Dear  Sir:  —  The  undersigned  citizens  of  California  from  New  England 
have  read  with  pride  and  gratification  the  story  of  your  brave  and  patriotic 
refusal  to  haul  down  the  flag  of  your  country.  As  a  mark  of  our  appreciation 
of  your  conduct,  we  request  you  to  accept  the  accompanying  medal  of 
California  gold,  together  with  our  best  wishes  for  your  prosperity  and  hap- 
piness. F.  W.  Brooks,  Henry  L.  Dodge,  F.  A.  Fabent,  H.  F.  Cutter,  W. 
T.  Reynolds,  Henry  F.  Teschemascher,  Geo.  J.  Brooks,  Geo.  H.  Faulkner 
(and  140  others). 
William  Conway, 

Quartermaster  United  States  Navy. 

With  such  testimonials  as  these  one  would  little  think  the 
person  receiving  them  would  be  almost  entirely  forgotten  in  the 
lapse  of  forty-four  years,  but  such  indeed  is  the  case.  I  well 
remember  Conway,  though  I  had  not  seen  him  since  before  the 
war.  In  1858,  when  but  a  lad,  I  was  first  mate  of  the  brig 
"Tocoa,"  of  Rockport,  Me.  Captain  Thomas  Fitzgerald  was  mas- 
ter and  the  present  Captain  Ed.  Harkness  (if  living)  was  second 
mate.  William  Conway,  then  termed  an  old  man-o'-war's-man, 
was  home  on  furlough,  and  having  a  sister  living  at  Rockport 
(  I  have  forgotten  her  name  ),  he  was  staying  with  her.  During 
the  three  weeks  that  we  were  getting  the  vessel  ready  for  sea  we 
saw  much  of  Conway,  as  he  spent  a  large  portion  of  his  time  on 
board  with  us.  We  had  to  take  the  vessel  to  Rockland  to  haul 
out  on  the  ways,  and  as  we  had  no  crew  shipped,  he  volunteered 
with  others  to  help  work  the  vessel  round  to  that  port.  In  this 
manner  I  came  to  know  him  very  well,  so  that  when  two  and 
one-half  years  later,  he  refused  to  haul  down  the  flag  by  order 
of  the  traitor  Renshaw,  I  felt  that  I  had  more  than  a  passing 
interest  in  the  Camden  sailor,  and  was  proud  that  I  knew  him. 
During  the  time  between  the  surrender  of  the  navy  yard  at 
Pensacola  and  the  reading  on  board  every  ship  in  the  service  of 
the  general  orders  relative  to  his  noble  conduct,  I  had  entered 
the  navy  as  a  volunteer  officer  and  was  attached  to  the  U.  S. 

14 


bark  "  Midnight,"  stationed  as  by  fate's  decree  off  Fort  Pickens, 
in  sight  of  the  Pensacola  Navy  Yard,  when  this  order  reached 
us.  At  the  reading  of  the  same,  with  all  hands  at  muster,  and 
being  the  only  officer  from  Maine,  and  in  fact  the  only  man  on 
board  ship  with  the  exception  of  one  ordinary  seaman,  from  this 
state,  I  stretched  to  my  utmost  height  and  drank  in  patriotism 
and  courage  from  the  reading  that  lasted  me  through  the  four 
years  that  I  served  in  the  navy,  helping  me  to  make  such  a 
record  as  did  not,  I  hope,  disgrace  my  country,  my  state  or  my 
people. 

Many  years  ago  I  learned  through  some  source  that  Conway 
was  dead.  How,  when  and  where  he  died  I  did  not  learn,  but 
presumed  that  he  died  with  his  people  at  Camden  and  was  buried 
with  his  ancestors.  Of  late  I  have  had  a  desire  to  visit  his  last 
resting-place  and  to  stand  with  bowed  head  beside  his  grave. 
While  on  my  way  to  the  Waymouth  celebration,  held  at  Thom- 
aston,  in  July,  1905,  I  stopped  off  at  Camden  for  that  purpose. 
Judge  of  my  disappointment,  when  I  made  inquiry  for  Conway 
in  his  native  town,  to  find  that  no  one  knew  of  or  had  ever  heard 
of  him. 

At  last  I  inquired  of  an  old  friend.  Comrade  Henry  Payson, 
of  Rockport,  who  had  lived  in  the  town  for  fifteen  years  and  was 
a  member  of  the  G.  A.  R.  Post.  He  had  never  heard  of  William 
Conway,  but  he  made  inquiry  of  an  old  gentleman  named  Ogier, 
who  remembered  something  in  relation  to  Conway  and  his  his- 
tory. Mr.  Payson  informed  me  that  there  was  a  lady  named 
Conway  living  in  Camden  and  kindly  took  me  to  her  place. 
She  proved  to  be  a  niece,  who  told  me  that  she  and  a  cousin  of 
hers,  Mrs.  Louise  E.  Robbins,  of  Thomaston,  were  the  only 
living  relatives  of  William  Conway ;  that  she  thought  he  died  in 
Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  in  1865,  and  that  he  was  buried  in  the  naval 
cemetery  there,  but  she  was  not  certain.  She  also  informed  me 
that  the  gold  medal  was  in  the  possession  of  the  other  niece, 
Mrs.  Robbins. 

As  I  stood  by  the  beautiful  monument  erected  in  a  Camden 
public  square  in  honor  of  the  country's  defenders  from  that  town, 

15 


I  was  chagrined  to  learn  that  Conway's  name,  though  perhaps 
•'the  noblest  Roman  among  them  all,"  was  not  written  there. 
The  thought  occurred  to  me,  why  is  this  ?  If  this  same  William 
Conway  had  been  the  commander  of  a  ship  in  our  navy,  and  had 
been  commanded  by  an  enemy  of  superior  force  to  haul  down 
the  flag  of  his  country  as  a  token  of  surrender,  and  he  had  used 
the  self-same  words  that  he  used  at  Pensacola,  viz  :  "  I  will  not 
do  it,  sir  ;  it  is  the  flag  of  my  country,  under  which  I  have  sailed 
for  many  years  and  I  will  not  dishonor  it  now !  "  his  name  would 
have  been  sung  in  song  and  told  in  story  down  to  the  end  of  all 
time  and  a  monument  erected  to  perpetuate  his  memory.  But 
being  only  a  common  sailor  he  died  "  unwept,  unhonored  and 
unsung,"  his  name  not  even  a  memory  in  his  native  town. 

This  should  not  be.  The  tide  of  oblivion  should  not  be  per- 
mitted to  set  in  that  direction.  In  the  language  of  Secretary 
Welles  :  "  The  love  and  reverence  thus  impulsively  exhibited  for 
his  country's  flag  in  the  hour  of  its  peril  is  not  the  less  worthy 
of  being  called  noble  and  chivalric  because  displayed  by  one  in 
an  humble  station,"  and  the  following  words  from  Kipling's 
"  Recessional  "  would  seem  to  be  fitting  here  : 

God  of  our  fathers,  known  of  old, — 

Lord  of  our  far-flung  battle  line  — 
Beneath  whose  awful  hand  we  hold 

Dominion  over  palm  and  pine  — 
Lord,  God  of  Hosts,  be  with  us  yet, — 
Lest  we  forget  —  lest  we  forget. 

Far  called  our  navies  melt  away. 
On  dune  and  headland  sinks  the  fire  — 

Lo,  all  our  pomp  of  yesterday 
Is  one  with  Nineveh  and  Tyre  ! 

Judge  of  our  Nation,  spare  us  yet. 

Lest  we  forget  —  lest  we  forget. 

I  have  said  I  was  disappointed  in  learning  that  the  name  of 
William  Conway  had  been  forgotten  in  his  native  town.  But 
on  second  thought  it  is  not  so  surprising,  for  during  the  lapse  of 
forty-four  years  or  more  the  population  of  the  thriving  town  of 
Camden  has  greatly  changed,  and  it  would  be  simply  an  impos- 
sibility for  those  born  since  the  Civil  War  to  have  any  personal 

i6 


remembrance  of  him  ;  while  with  the  older  residents  time  has 
naturally  dimmed  the  memory.  Moreover,  all  the  official  docu- 
ments relating  to  Conway  were  deposited  in  the  Navy  Depart- 
ment at  Washington,  where  no  outsider  had  access  to  them  till 
within  the  past  ten  years. 

Happily  in  this  time  Congress  had  enacted  a  law  for  the  pub- 
lication of  the  records  of  the  doings  of  the  United  States  Navy 
in  the  War  of  the  Rebellion,  and  for  their  distribution  through- 
out the  land  in  order  to  show  to  those,  who  care  to  know,  what 
the  navy  did.  From  one  of  these  books,  "  The  Official  Records 
of  the  Union  and  Confederate  Navies  in  the  War  of  the  Rebell- 
ion," ^  I  obtained  my  information  relative  to  the  Court  of  Enquiry 
before  which  Captain  Armstrong  was  brought,  and  also  the 
copies  of  the  papers  in  relation  to  Quartermaster  Conway  which 
I  have  already  read.  Otherwise  Conway  has  been  allowed  to 
sink  out  of  sight ;  for  up  to  the  time  I  dug  his  name  out  from 
under  the  avalanche  of  forgetfulness,  not  one  word  had  been 
said  or  written  in  relation  to  him,  as  far  as  I  can  learn,  except  in  a 
very  short  and  inaccurate  sketch  of  the  affair  at  Pensacola  cov- 
ering about  one  half-page  in  Abbott's  "  History  of  the  War," 
and  a  few  words  in  "The  Battles  and  Leaders  of  the  Civil 
War,"  ^  in  connection  with  a  pencil  sketch  of  Conway  by  William 
Waud.  From  Rear-Admiral  Joseph  B.  Coghlan,  U.  S.  N.,  com- 
mandant at  the  Navy  Yard  at  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  I  learned  that 
William  Conway  died  at  the  naval  hospital  there  November  30, 
1865,  while  still  in  the  service,  and  was  buried  in  the  naval  cem- 
etery at  that  place  in  a  grave  which  cannot  now  be  located. 

When  I  read  Admiral  Coghlan' s  letter  I  should  not  have  been 
more  astounded  had  I  been  hit  on  the  head  with  a  hammer. 
For  that  record  shows  that  in  less  than  five  years  after  Conway 
uttered  those  memorable  words  at  Pensacola,  refusing  to  dishonor 
the  flag  of  his  country  by  lowering  it  at  the  demand  of  traitors, 
and  having  died  while  still  in  the  service  of  his  country,  at  a 
home  port  and  in  a  time  of  peace,  his  body  was  dumped  into  an 

1  Series  i,  Volume  4. 
*  Volume  I,  page  26. 

17 


unknown  grave.      For  this  almost  criminal  neglect  I  know  not 
whom  to  censure.     But  some  one  blundered. 

Surely  the  name  of  this  loyal  American  sailor  should  be  res- 
cued from  oblivion.  I  believe  his  name  is  fully  as  worthy  of 
honor  as  is  that  of  John  Paul  Jones,  for  while  Conway  was  dis- 
tinctively an  American,  Paul  Jones  claimed  to  be  a  citizen  of  the 
world.  In  Conway  we  have  a  brave  old  American  tar,  who 
shifted  his  quid  of  tobacco,  gave  the  waistbands  of  his  trousers 
a  hitch,  and  stood  as  firm  as  the  rock  of  Gibraltar  for  one  coun- 
try and  one  flag.  For  this  I  think  his  name  should  be  placed 
on  a  pinnacle  of  fame,  and  what  could  be  more  fitting  than  to 
have  this  honored  organization,  which  bears  the  proud  title  of 
the  "  Loyal  Legion  of  the  United  States,"  take  the  first  steps 
toward  the  erection  of  a  suitable  memorial  in  his  honor .?  For 
who  is  there  among  us  who  would  not  have  been  thrilled  to  his 
fingers'  ends  could  he  have  listened  to  the  loyal  words  of  that 
loyal  old  American  sailor,  "  I  will  not  do  it,  sir  !  It  is  the  flag 
of  my  country  under  which  I  have  sailed  for  many  years,  and  I 
will  not  dishonor  it  by  hauling  it  down  now," 


i8 


THE  CONWAY  CELEBRATION,  CAMDEN, 
AUGUST  30,  1906. 

THE  reading  of  the  preceding  paper  at  the  meeting  of  the 
Commandery,  in  Portland,  December  6,  1905,  awakened 
very  deep  interest  in  the  members  of  the  Commandery  and  their 
guests.  This  interest  was  intensified  by  the  exhibition  of  the 
beautiful  gold  medal  which  was  presented  to  William  Conway  on 
the  deck  of  the  U.S.  frigate  "  Mississippi "  not  long  after  the 
Pensacola  incident.  Conway's  niece,  Mrs.  Louise  E.  Robbins, 
of  Thomaston,  the  present  custodian  of  the  Conway  medal,  had 
placed  it  in  the  hands  of  Companion  Acting  Ensign  Edward  A. 
Butler,  of  Rockland,  for  exhibition  at  the  meeting.  In  the 
remarks  that  followed  the  reading  of  the  paper,  reference  was 
made  to  Companion  Johnson's  suggestion  concerning  a  memorial 
in  Conway's  honor,  and  it  was  further  suggested  that  this  memo- 
rial might  take  the  form  of  a  boulder,  on  which  should  be  placed 
a  bronze  tablet  reciting  in  brief  the  story  of  Conway's  fidelity 
and  patriotism ;  but  definite  action  was  deferred  in  order  to 
secure  time  for  maturer  consideration. 

Such  further  consideration  was  given  to  this  suggestion  at  the 
meeting  of  the  Commandery,  held  in  Portland  on  March  7,  1906, 
and  it  was  voted  that  if  the  town  of  Camden  would  provide  a 
suitable  boulder,  in  a  conspicuous  position  in  the  town,  the  Maine 
Commandery  of  the  Military  Order  of  the  Loyal  Legion  of  the 
United  States  would  place  on  it  a  bronze  tablet  with  an  appro- 
priate inscription.  The  town  of  Camden,  at  its  annual  meeting, 
acceded  to  this  proposal,  and  made  an  appropriation  of  $100.00 
to  defray  the  expenses  connected  with  the  placing  of  the  boulder. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Maine  Commandery,  held  in  Portland  on 
May  2,  1906,  a  like  appropriation  was  made  for  the  purpose  of 

19 


securing  a  bronze  tablet,  and  the  officers  of  the  Commandery 
were  made  a  committee  to  prepare  a  suitable  inscription,  and 
also  to  take  charge  of  all  matters  pertaining  to  the  tablet ;  while 
with  reference  to  the  unveiling  of  the  tablet  the  committee  was 
directed  to  act  in  connection  with  a  similar  committee  represent- 
ing the  town  of  Camden. 

Not  long  after,  the  Recorder  of  the  Commandery  visited  Cam- 
den, and  held  a  conference  with  a  large  number  of  the  citizens 
of  the  town,  who  were  called  together  for  that  purpose.  Mat- 
ters concerning  the  memorial  and  its  unveiling  were  freely  and 
fully  discussed,  and  at  the  close  of  the  conference  it  was  decided 
on  the  part  of  the  Camden  members  of  the  conference  to  call 
another  meeting  of  the  town  for  the  further  consideration  of 
ways  and  means.  At  this  town  meeting,  held  during  the  follow- 
ing week,  an  additional  appropriation  of  ^500.00  was  made  for 
the  Conway  celebration,  and  besides  a  general  committee,  com- 
mittees were  appointed  on  reception,  entertainment  and  decora- 
tion. It  was  understood  that  the  arrangements  for  the  services 
connected  with  the  unveiling  of  the  memorial  should  be  made 
by  the  Loyal  Legion. 

An  early  communication  was  sent  to  Rear-Admiral  R.  D. 
Evans,  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  North  Atlantic  Fleet,  and  to 
this  communication  the  following  answer,  dated  U.  S.  Flagship 
"  Maine,"  North  River,  New  York,  May  26,  1906,  was  received : 

I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  23d  inst.  regarding  the  dedication  of  a 
memorial  to  William  Conway,  quartermaster  United  States  Navy,  at  Cam- 
den, Me. ,  sometime  during  the  summer,  and  asking  when  any  of  the  ships 
of  the  Atlantic  Fleet  will  be  in  the  vicinity. 

In  reply  I  have  to  state  that  I  shall  take  great  pleasure  in  adding  to  the 
ceremony  of  dedication  in  any  way  that  I  can,  and  will  visit  Camden  any 
day  during  the  week  ending  September  i,  with  at  least  eight  of  our  large 
ships  and  probably  twelve,  if  that  will  be  convenient  to  your  Commandery 
and  to  the  town  of  Camden,  and  I  shall  be  very  glad  to  have  as  large  a  del- 
egation of  officers  and  men  present  to  witness  the  ceremony  as  is  practicable. 

Subsequently,  the  inquiry  was  submitted  to  Rear-Admiral 
Evans  whether  the  regulations  of  the  navy  would  allow  the  firing 
of  a  salute  on  the  part  of  the  battleships  in  connection  with  the 

20 


BATTLESHIP    MAINE. 


unveiling  of  the  Conway  memorial.  To  this  inquiry  the  follow- 
ing reply,  dated  U.  S.  Flagship  "Maine,"  Rockport,  Mass.,  July 
1 6,  1906,  was  received: 

Replying  to  your  letter  of  July  9  relative  to  firing  a  salute  at  Camden  on 
August  30,  in  connection  with  the  ceremony  of  unveiling  a  memorial  to 
Quartermaster  Conway,  the  Commander-in-Chief  has  made  inquiry  at  the 
Navy  Department,  and  it  agrees  with  him  that  a  salute  would  be  appropri- 
ate ;  and  he  directs  me  to  inform  you  that  he  will  fire  a  national  salute  of 
twenty-one  guns  on  that  day,  and  he  will  arrange  the  details  as  to  signals, 
etc.,  after  a  consultation  with  you  or  with  the  committee  upon  his  arrival  at 
Camden. 

President  Roosevelt,  who  was  invited  to  be  present  at  the 
unveiling  of  the  Conway  memorial,  sent  a  response  which  will 
be  found  on  another  page  in  connection  with  the  account  of  the 
proceedings  at  the  celebration  on  August  30. 

Hon.  Charles  J.  Bonaparte,  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  was  also 
invited  to  be  present.  To  the  invitation,  the  Secretary  made 
answer,  dated  Navy  Department,  Washington,  July  5,  1906,  as 
follows : 

I  am  in  receipt  of  your  very  kind  invitation  to  attend  the  ceremonies  at 
Camden,  Me.,  on  August  30,  in  connection  with  the  dedication  of  the  Con- 
way memorial.  I  am  not  able  to  say  definitely  that  I  shall  be  able  to  be 
present  on  that  occasion,  but  if  I  am  in  the  vicinity  at  the  time  mentioned,  it 
will  give  me  great  pleasure  to  participate  in  the  celebration  as  you  suggest. 

Subsequently  the  following  letter  was  received  from  Secre- 
tary Bonaparte : 

I  am  in  receipt  of  your  letter  of  the  2d  inst.  and  regret  sincerely  to  be  com- 
pelled to  say  that  I  find  it  will  be  impossible  for  me  to  be  at  Camden,  Me., 
the  last  of  August,  owing  to  the  review  which  is  to  take  place  at  Oyster  Bay 
the  first  of  September. 

Rear-Admiral  Evans,  to  an  invitation  to  make  an  address  in 
connection  with  the  services  at  Camden  on  August  30,  sent  the 
following  response  dated  U.  S.  Flagship  <*  Maine,"  Navy  Yard, 
N'ew  York,  June  28,  1906  : 

dmiral  Evans  is  in  receipt  of  your  letter  of  the  25th  inst.,  stating  that 
.  -gust  30  had  been  definitely  fixed  as  the  date  on  which  the  celebration  at 

21 


Camden  will  occur.  The  squadron  of  eight  battleships,  and  probably  six 
destroyers,  will  be  there  on  that  date,  and  Admiral  Evans  will  be  pleased  to 
attend  the  ceremonies,  together  with  other  officers. 

He  desires  me  to  say,  however,  that  he  does  not  consider  it  an  occasion 
on  which  he  should  make  a  speech  ;  that  he  thinks  his  presence  there,  with 
the  fleet,  will  be  sufficient,  as  far  as  the  naval  part  of  the  ceremonies  are 
concerned,  and  that  the  speech-making  may  more  appropriately  be  done  by 
the  prominent  men  of  Maine. 

Rear-Admiral  Albert  S.  Barker  (retired),  wrote  to  the 
Recorder  of  the  Maine  Commandery,  August  19,  1906,  as 
follows : 

I  note  that  there  is  to  be  a  celebration  in  honor  of  William  Conway,  who 
at  the  beginning  of  the  Civil  War  refused  to  haul  down  the  flag  at  Pensacola. 

I  was  attached  to  the  frigate  "Mississippi,"  on  blockading  duty  in  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  was  present  when  the  commendatory  letter  from  the 
Navy  Department  to  Conway  was  read  in  the  presence  of  the  officers  and 
crew  of  that  vessel.  At  the  conclusion  of  the  ceremony,  Conway  was  enthu- 
siastically cheered.  I  have  been  under  the  impression  that  the  medal  was 
presented  at  the  same  time,  but  I  am  not  sure  of  this.  Unfortunately  my 
diary  was  lost  in  the  "Mississippi"  when  that  vessel  was  destroyed  in  the 
Port  Hudson  fight. 

The  Admiral  of  the  Navy,  George  Dewey,  was  one  of  the  officers  of  the 
"  Mississippi,"  and  must  have  been  present  at  the  time  referred  to,  his  rank 
being  that  of  master,  corresponding  to  the  present  rank  of  junior  lieutenant ; 
but  in  those  days  the  master  navigated  the  ship. 

Conway  was  our  signal  quartermaster,  who  under  the  master  had  charge 
of  the  navigation  stores.  ■  Dewey  used  to  say  that  it  was  more  difficult  to  get 
those  stores  for  use  than  it  would  be  if  Conway  owned  them  himself. 

Conway  was  very  modest  in  speaking  of  the  Pensacola  incident,  but  he 
declared  that  if,  when  he  refused  to  haul  down  the  flag,  there  were  any  tears 
in  his  eyes,  as  the  newspapers  claimed,  it  was  not  because  he  was  so  affected 
sentimentally,  but  because  he  was  mad  or  had  a  cold. 

Rear-Admiral  Henry  Erben  (retired)  was  stationed  at  the  Pensacola  Navy 
Yard  at  the  outbreak  of  the  war,  and  I  have  often  heard  him  tell  of  a  knock- 
down fight  he  had  with  one  of  the  southern  officers. 

When  I  hauled  down  my  flag  on  the  thirty-first  of  March,  a  year  and  a  half 
ago  nearly,  I  mentioned  the  Conway  case  in  a  short  address  which  I  made 
to  the  crew  of  the  "  Kearsarge."  I  had  no  idea  then  that  a  monument  would 
be  erected  to  the  old  sailor's  memory.  I  hope  you  will  have  a  fine  day  for 
the  ceremonies,  and  that  a  lot  of  blue-jackets  will  be  present. 

After  the  reception  of  this  letter  from  Rear-Admiral  Barker, 
who  was  invited  to  be  present  at  the  celebration  but  could  not 

22 


attend,  a  letter  was  sent  to  Admiral  Dewey,  inviting  him  to 
honor  the  occasion  by  his  presence.  The  following  reply  to  this 
invitation  was  received  from  the  Admiral's  secretary,  dated  at 
Washington,  August  15,  1906: 

Admiral  Dewey  directs  me  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your  recent 
letter,  and  to  express  his  very  great  regret  at  being  unable  to  accept  the 
invitation  you  so  kindly  extend  to  him,  to  attend  the  unveiling  of  a  memorial 
in  honor  of  William  Conway,  on  the  30th  inst. 

Later  Admiral  Dewey  was  asked  to  add  his  recollections  of 
Conway,  and  he  responded  October  8,  1906,  as  follows  : 

It  gives  me  very  great  pleasure  to  comply  with  your  request  for  some  of 
my  recollections  of  William  Conway,  in  whose  memory  a  celebration  was 
recently  held  by  the  Loyal  Legion  of  Maine. 

I  first  knew  Conway  in  May,  1861,  at  which  time  I  was  navigating  officer 
of  the  old  steam  frigate  "Mississippi,"  and  he  the  signal  quartermaster,  his 
duty  as  such  placing  him  under  my  immediate  orders,  so  that  I  necessarily 
saw  him  almost  constantly.  He  was  a  typical  Yankee  man-of-war' s-man 
from  Maine,  tall,  thin,  with  a  nose  like  Wellington's,  and,  like  all  men-of- 
war' s-men  from  that  section,  very  intelligent. 

I  was  present  on  the  quarter-deck  of  the  "  Mississippi  "  when  a  beautiful 
gold  medal,  presented  by  some  of  the  citizens  of  California,  was  handed  to 
him  by  the  captain  in  the  presence  of  all  the  officers  and  crew.  About  that 
time  I  asked  Conway  if  he  positively  refused  to  haul  down  the  colors  when 
the  Pensacola  Navy  Yard  was  surrendered.  He  said,  in  a  modest,  quiet 
way,  with  a  touch  of  his  cap,  "I  didn't  refuse,  sir,  I  said,  'I  can't  haul 
down  those  colors,  Mr.  Renshaw,'  and  he  excused  me."  And  his  version 
of  this  incident  was  in  exact  accordance  with  what  I  should  have  expected 
of  Conway,  who  was  at  all  times  most  dutiful  and  subordinate. 

Later,  when  I  had  become  executive  officer  of  the  "  Mississippi,"  and  she, 
with  the  other  vessels  of  Farragut's  fleet,  had  passed  the  forts  below  New 
Orleans,  in  April,  1862,  I  looked  about  at  the  other  vessels  and  saw  that 
the  "Hartford,"  "Brooklyn,"  "Richmond,"  and  others  were  firing  broad- 
sides, with  Old  Glory  at  each  mast-head.  Day  was  just  breaking,  and  as 
we  had  been  making  a  night  attack  it  had  not  occurred  to  me  to  have  the 
flags  hoisted.  Conway  was  standing  near  me,  and  as  he  had  charge  of  the 
flags,  I  said,  "Get  our  flags  up  quickly,  Conway."  He  replied,  "They're 
up  there,  sir."  Without  waiting  for  instructions  he  had  hoisted  them  up  in 
a  ball,  ready  to  be  broken  out  at  a  moment's  notice,  thus  showing  more 
forethought  in  that  respect  than  either  the  captain  or  myself. 

On  a  certain  twenty-second  of  February,  after  the  abolition  of  the  grog 
ration  in  the  navy,  I  saw  Conway,  who  had  been  in  the  habit  of  taking  his 
grog  twice  a  day  for  many  years.  Touching  his  cap,  he  said  to  me,  "  It's  a 
mighty  dry  birthday  for  poor  old  George  Washington,  Mr.  Dewey." 

23 


A  letter  was  sent  to  Rear- Admiral  Henry  Erben  (retired), 
inviting  him  also  to  be  present  at  the  Conway  celebration.  The 
following  answer,  dated  at  Jamestown,  R.  I.,  August  12,  1906, 
so  full  of  interesting  reminiscences,  is  a  valuable  contribution  to 
our  knowledge  concerning  the  Conway  incident : 

I  am  greatly  obliged  to  your  Commandery  for  its  invitation  to  be  present 
on  the  30th  inst.  at  the  memorial  service  in  honor  of  William  Conway,  late 
quartermaster  in  the  navy.  I  well  remember  the  incidents  leading  up  to  the 
event  for  which  Conway's  name  is  to  be  commemorated.  It  is  one  of  the  most 
interesting  episodes  of  the  times  from  January,  1861,  to  the  end  of  the  war. 
But  little  is  known  now  of  the  Pensacola  days,  or  the  surrender  of  the  navy 
yard  there,  or  of  the  heroism  and  patriotism  of  the  bluejackets,  and  of  Con- 
way in  particular. 

It  is  a  long  story,  too  long  to  write,  and  I  know  that  to  tell  it  would 
require  more  time  than  could  be  given  at  such  a  ceremony  as  that  of  August 
30.  I  have  always  thought  that  the  conduct  of  William  Conway  on  that 
memorable  day,  January  12,  1861,  should  have  been  recognized  by  our  gov- 
ernment in  some  fitting  way.  He  took  his  life  in  his  hands  when  he  refused 
to  haul  down  the  American  flag.  The  order  was  given  by  an  officer  with  a 
United  States  commission  in  his  pocket.  He  was  surrounded  by  a  crazed 
crowd,  made  so  by  the  surrender  of  the  navy  yard,  a  most  important  depot. 
Conway  was  threatened  to  be  cut  down,  but  he  still  refused  to  haul  down 
the  flag  he  had  served  under  for  years  in  the  navy.  He  was  put  under 
arrest,  confined  for  a  short  time,  and  then  sent  off  with  the  other  bluejackets 
to  the  United  States  ship  "Supply,"  on  which  I  was  serving  as  a  lieutenant. 

Conway  was  a  hero.  When  so  many  about  him  were  disloyal,  and  when 
it  required  true  courage  to  remain  loyal,  he  knew  his  duty  and  was  not 
afraid  to  perform  it.  I  believe  Conway  will  enjoy  the  distinction  of  being 
the  only  enlisted  man  to  have  a  monument  erected  to  him  alone.  He 
deserved  it  most  surely.  You  will  have  Admiral  Evans'  fleet  there  to  com- 
memorate the  event.  I  hardly  think  you  will  need  me.  Then,  I  think  this 
all  should  have  the  official  endorsement  of  the  Navy  Department,  and  this  it 
has  by  the  presence  of  the  fleet. 

The  place  selected  for  the  Conway  memorial  in  Camden  is 
the  schoolhouse  lot  on  the  corner  of  School  and  Elm  Streets,  and 
opposite  the  Congregational  church.  Much  time  was  given  to 
the  selection  of  a  suitable  boulder.  The  one  finally  chosen,  as 
meeting  the  recognized  conditions,  was  taken  from  the  roadside 
on  Ogier's  Hill  and  hauled  to  its  designated  place  on  skids.  Not 
far  from  sixty  horses  were  required  in  hauling  the  boulder  to  the 
schoolhouse  lot.     Early  in  August,  after  the  boulder  had  been 

24 


MOVING    THE    BOULDER    TO    THE    SCHOOLHOUSE    LOT. 


placed  in  position,  the  ground  around  it  was  carefully  graded, 
and  the  bronze  tablet,  which  was  made  by  Paul  E.  Cabaret  & 
Co.,  New  York,  was  affixed  to  the  boulder.  The  memorial  was 
then  covered,  and  so  remained  until  the  unveiling  on  August  30. 

About  one  o'clock  on  the  afternoon  of  the  day  preceding  the 
unveiling  of  the  memorial,  seven  battleships  of  Admiral  Evans' 
fleet,  viz  :  the  "  Maine,"  "  Missouri,"  "  Kentucky,"  "  Kearsarge," 
"  Indiana,"  "  Iowa  "  and  **  Alabama,"  anchored  in  the  bay  off  the 
harbor  of  Camden,  and  later  came  the  destroyers  *'  Worden," 
'*  Whipple,"  "  Lawrence,"  "  Truxton  "  and  "  McDonough."  The 
day  was  one  of  singular  brightness  and  beauty,  and  the  scene  as 
the  battleships  came  up  the  bay,  and  dropped  their  anchors  in 
front  of  the  town,  was  one  of  patriotic  interest,  and  especially 
by  reason  of  the  errand  upon  which  they  had  come.  The  vari- 
ous vessels  of  the  fleet  were  soon  in  communication  with  the 
town,  and  during  the  afternoon,  and  the  next  forenoon,  they 
were  open  to  the  inspection  of  visitors.  Many  of  the  citizens  of 
Camden,  and  not  a  few  of  the  strangers  who  had  already  found 
their  way  thither,  availed  themselves  of  this  opportunity ;  and 
the  launches  of  the  ships  were  in  constant  use  between  the  har- 
bor and  the  visiting  vessels  of  the  North  Atlantic  Fleet. 

Early  in  the  evening  the  band  of  the  flagship  came  ashore, 
and  gave  a  most  enjoyable  concert  in  front  of  the  Bay  View 
House.  Later,  the  various  vessels  of  the  fleet  flashed  their 
powerful  search-lights  over  the  waters  of  the  harbor,  and  on  the 
mountains  back  of  the  town.  This  electrical  display  was  a  very 
fitting  introduction  to  the  eagerly  awaited  celebration  of  the 
following  day. 

The  morning  of  August  30  opened  with  a  heavy  fog,  which 
during  the  night  had  drifted  in  from  the  ocean.  But  as  the  day 
advanced  the  fog  gradually  lifted,  though  it  shut  out  the  sun 
during  the  forenoon.  The  town  throughout  was  in  holiday 
dress.  Almost  every  store  and  house  was  elaborately  deco- 
rated. Early  in  the  day  it  was  apparent  that  the  celebration  had 
attracted  a  great  throng  of  spectators.  The  streets  were  crowded 
with  strangers.    From  early  morning  they  came  in  every  direction, 

25 


making  their  way  by  team,  trolley,  boat  or  on  foot.  The 
Camden  Herald,  in  its  excellent  report  of  the  celebration,  said  : 
"  It  was  the  biggest  crowd  ever  in  Camden,  and  when  the  cele- 
bration was  at  its  height  fully  10,000  people  were  on  the  streets." 

Toward  noon  the  fog  had  lifted  considerably.  As  early  as 
half-past  twelve  one  company  of  bluejackets  from  each  of  the 
battleships  had  been  landed.  Rear- Admiral  Evans  and  his 
staff,  Rear-Admiral  Davis  and  his  staff,  followed ;  also  seven 
officers  from  each  battleship.  A  staff  officer  from  the  fleet  had 
gone  over  the  route  of  the  procession  on  the  previous  day,  and 
it  was  understood  that  it  would  take  thirty-five  minutes  for  the 
procession  to  reach  the  Camden  Trotting  Park  in  which  the  lit- 
erary exercises  connected  with  the  celebration  were  to  be  held. 
As  Admiral  Evans  had  announced  to  the  committee  that  in 
order  to  get  his  fleet  out  of  the  bay  before  dark  he  would  sail 
promptly  at  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  it  was  necessary  that 
the  procession  should  start  at  one  o'clock  sharp ;  and  the  vari- 
ous bodies  having  a  part  in  the  parade  were  notified  to  be  ready 
to  start  at  that  time. 

The  seven  companies  of  sailors  from  the  battleships  were 
drawn  up  on  Bay  View  Street,  and  the  town  and  corporation 
officers,  Governor  Cobb  and  his  staff,  the  officers  of  the  fleet, 
the  members  of  the  Loyal  Legion  and  the  Grand  Army,  were 
directed  to  be  in  line  on  Chestnut  Street,  the  right  of  both  col- 
umns being  on  Limerock  Street.  The  band  of  the  flagship  pre- 
ceded the  seven  companies  from  the  battleships,  and  the  band 
from  the  National  Home  at  Togus  preceded  the   Loyal  Legion, 

At  precisely  one  o'clock  the  band  from  the  flagship  struck  up 
an  inspiring  air,  and  the  procession  started  up  Limerock  Street. 
The  town  officers  were  in  carriages,  as  also  were  the  Governor 
and  his  staff,  the  officers  of  the  fleet  and  the  members  of  the 
Loyal  Legion.  The  route  of  the  procession  was  through  Lime- 
rock Street,  Belmont  Avenue,  School,  Elm,  Main,  Mountain, 
Trim,  Washington  and  Alden  Streets  to  the  park.  A  more 
favorable  day,  both  for  those  who  were  in  the  procession  and  for 
the  thousands  who  witnessed  it,  lining  the  streets  on  either  side, 

26 


could  not  have  been  selected.  The  bluejackets  were  enthusi- 
astically greeted  all  along  the  way,  as  also  were  the  officers  of 
the  fleet,  Governor  Cobb  and  his  staff  and  the  veterans  of  the 
Civil  War. 

Just  before  the  procession  reached  the  park,  the  sun  appeared 
for  a  short  time,  as  if  to  lend  added  brilliancy  to  the  scene.  At 
the  park,  the  sailors  were  drawn  up  in  front  of  the  grandstand 
without  breaking  their  ranks.  The  officers  from  the  fleet,  aside 
from  the  two  admirals  and  their  staffs,  were  conducted  to  seats 
on  the  grandstand,  as  also  were  the  members  of  the  Loyal 
Legion  and  the  Grand  Army,  together  with  the  specially  invited 
guests,  prominent  among  whom  were  the  two  nieces  of  William 
Conway,  Miss  Julia  Conway,  of  Camden,  and  Mrs.  Louise  E. 
Robbins,  of  Thomaston.  The  rest  of  the  grandstand  was  occu- 
pied by  representatives  of  the  homes  in  Camden  and  their  guests. 
At  the  speakers'  stand,  which  had  been  erected  in  front  of  the 
center  of  the  grandstand,  were  seated  Rear-Admiral  Evans  and 
his  staff,  Rear-Admiral  Davis  and  his  staff.  Governor  Cobb  and 
his  staff,  the  officers  of  the  town  and  of  the  Loyal  Legion,  also 
those  who  were  to  have  a  part  in  the  public  service  that  was  to 
follow.  In  the  park  itself  a  large  number  of  people  were 
assembled,  occupying  all  the  favorable  places  that  could  be 
found  for  hearing  the  speakers.  It  was  estimated  that  about 
four  thousand  people  were  present. 

At  precisely  quarter  before  two  o'clock,  Mr.  Thomas  A. 
Hunt,  of  Camden,  who  had  been  requested  to  preside  over  the 
services  at  the  park,  called  the  great  assembly  to  order,  and  in 
a  clear  voice,  easily  heard  by  all  evidently,  delivered  the  follow- 
ing address  of  welcome : 

ADDRESS    OF    WELCOME. 

"  Residents  of  Camden : —  This  day  we  feel  will  be  marked  as 
one  of  the  most  important  in  the  history  of  our  town,  and,  com- 
ing as  it  does  at  the  beginning  of  the  twentieth  century,  we 
trust  it  presages  for  us  a  century  of  advancement  and  progress. 
Never  before  has  such  a  notable  gathering  of  distinguished  men 

27 


honored  us  with  their  presence,  and  to  Captain  Johnson,  of  Lib- 
erty, Me.,  we  are  extremely  grateful  for  bringing  to  the  attention 
of  that  noble  body  of  men,  the  Loyal  Legion,  the  heroic  action, 
during  the  Civil  War,  of  our  townsman,  William  Conway,  whom 
he  has  rightly  styled  '  A  forgotten  Camden  hero ; '  for  strange 
as  it  may  appear,  Conway  had  been  forgotten  even  in  his  native 
town.  As  an  officer  of  your  town,  it  is  my  pleasing  duty  to  ex- 
tend, for  you,  to  the  strangers  within  our  gates,  a  most  hearty 
welcome. 

"  Officers  and  members  of  the  Loyal  Legion  of  the  Command- 
ery  of  Maine,  we  welcome  you  to  our  town  with  feelings  of 
gratitude  for  the  interest  you  have  manifested  in  us,  by  present- 
ing to  us  the  tablet,  which  will  perpetuate  the  memory  of  the 
patriotic  act  of  our  townsman,  and  only  wish  we  could  do  more 
to  show  our  appreciation  of  your  most  generous  act.  But 
placed  as  this  tablet  is  in  one  of  the  most  prominent  positions 
in  our  village,  where  all  who  enter  may  read  the  inscription,  and 
on  our  school  ground,  where  all  our  scholars,  during  the  most 
receptive  period  of  youth,  will  unconsciously  learn  that  inscrip- 
tion, it  will  become  a  living  monument  to  your  Order  ;  genera- 
tions yet  to  come  will  repeat  the  words  inscribed  thereon,  and 
the  Maine  Commandery  of  the  Military  Order  of  the  Loyal 
Legion  of  the  United  States  will  not  be  forgotten. 

"  We  extend  our  welcome  to  you,  the  Governor  of  our  State 
and  staff,  and  would  express  our  sincere  thanks  to  you  for  being 
present  and  assisting  in  this  day's  celebration,  realizing  the 
many  duties  you  have  to  perform,  and  that  we  are  but  a  small 
town  among  the  many  over  which  you  preside. 

"And  to  you,  Rear-Admiral  R.  D.  Evans,  of  the  United 
States  Navy,  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  Atlantic  Fleet,  with 
Rear-Admiral  C.  H.  Davis,  your  officers  and  men,  we  open  our 
gates  and  bid  you  welcome. 

"  Never  before  have  we  had  the  pleasure  of  viewing  the  battle- 
ships anchored  off  our  harbor,  and  we  are  to  a  certain  extent 
appalled  by  your  presence,  realizing  what  a  small  part  we  are  of 
the  vast  coast  of  the  United  States,  which  it  is  your  duty  to 

28 


protect,  how  many  places  you  have  visited,  cities  you  have  been 
entertained  in,  and  consequently  the  honor  you  confer  on  us  by 
lending  us  your  presence  here  to-day  We  wish  that  your  stay 
could  be  longer  so  that  in  some  way  we  might  express  to  you 
the  gratitude  and  pleasure  we  feel,  and  hope  that  some  day  you 
may  visit  us  again. 

"  Yet,  as  you  sail  the  ocean,  think  that  from  that  ocean,  your 
home,  come  the  showers  which  fall  on  the  Camden  Hills,  sup- 
plying her  streams  with  water  to  fill  the  lake,  that  lake  the  res- 
ervoir which  furnishes  the  power  to  run  her  mills,  making  the 
prosperity  of  our  town  ;  that  we  must  then  remember  you  ;  and 
that  we  hope  you  may  carry  away  some  pleasant  recollections  of 
us,  bearing  in  mind  that  we  are  a  part  of  New  England,  the 
trundle-bed  of  freedom,  'the  cradle  of  Liberty.' 

"  Again,  I  say,  Camden  bids  you  welcome  ! " 

At  the  close  of  his  address  of  welcome,  Mr.  Hunt  called  upon 
the  Rev.  Dr.  John  S,  Sewall,  of  Bangor,  Chaplain  of  the  Loyal 
Legion,  to  offer  prayer. 

*'  Lord,  thou  hast  been  our  dwelling  place  in  all  generations. 
Before  the  mountains  were  brought  forth,  or  ever  thou  hadst 
formed  the  earth  and  the  world,  even  from  everlasting  to  ever- 
lasting thou  art  God.  Thou  hast  made  all  things,  and  all  things 
depend  upon  thee. 

"  We  therefore  invoke  thy  blessing  and  thy  favor  this  day,  that 
we  may  worthily  dedicate  this  monument  to  patriotism,  may 
worthily  commemorate  the  name  of  one  who  loved  his  country 
and  did  his  duty. 

"  May  this  memorial  thus  consecrated  be  a  constant  inspira- 
tion, leading  all  who  shall  behold  it  to  larger  reverence  for  their 
country  and  more  earnest  endeavors  in  the  service  of  God  and 
man.     May  thy  blessing  rest  on  this  town  and  its  people. 

*'  Bless  these  veterans,  scarred  in  many  a  conflict  fought  to 
save  their  country. 

"  Bless  our  army  and  navy.  May  officers  and  men,  who  have 
devoted  themselves  to  the  defence  of  their  country  be  examples 

29 


of  the  highest  integrity  and  honor.  Protect  our  sailors  from 
the  dangers  of  the  sea,  and  from  the  worse  dangers  of  tempta- 
tion in  port.  And  may  they  choose  for  their  pilot  through  life 
him  who  chose  his  first  disciples  from  the  men  of  the  sea. 

"  May  thy  special  favor  rest  upon  our  President  and  his  coun- 
sellors, and  upon  our  Governor  and  our  beloved  state.  And 
may  our  land  be  filled  with  peace  and  our  people  with  righteous- 
ness.    Amen." 

Mr.  Hunt  then  announced  that  a  letter  had  been  received 
from  the  President  of  the  United  States,  and  that  this  letter 
would  be  read  by  the  Recorder  of  the  Loyal  Legion,  Major 
Henry  S.  Burrage,  of  Togus.     The  letter  was  as  follows  : 

PRESIDENT  Roosevelt's  letter. 

"  Sir  : — I  wish  it  were  in  my  power  to  be  present  at  the  time 
when  the  erection  of  the  Conway  Memorial  is  to  be  celebrated. 
As  this  is  not  possible,  will  you  let  me  express,  through  you, 
my  appreciation  of  the  action  taken  in  erecting  this  memorial  ? 
Conway  stands  as  typical  of  the  best  among  those  admirable 
enlisted  men  of  the  army  and  navy  to  whom  this  country  can 
never  pay  too  great  homage.  The  fidelity  and  patriotism  of  the 
sailor,  shown  under  the  most  trying  and  difficult  circumstances 
when  his  commanding  officers  proved  faithless,  should  be  graven 
on  the  hearts,  not  only  of  our  people  as  a  whole,  but  especially 
upon  those  of  our  people  who  fill  the  regiments  of  our  army  and 
man  the  ships  of  our  navy.  I  again  congratulate  you  upon  thus 
commemorating  his  sturdy  loyalty." 

The  ringing  words  of  this  letter,  giving  forceful  expression  to 
the  President's  hearty  endorsement  of  this  recognition  of  Con- 
way's "  fidelity  and  patriotism,"  and  his  equally  hearty  apprecia- 
tion of  the  fidelity  and  patriotism  of  the  "admirable  enlisted 
men  of  the  army  and  navy,"  awakened  loud  and  long  continued 
applause. 

30 


Governor  Cobb  was  then  introduced,  and  delivered  the  follow- 
ing address : 

GOVERNOR  COBB's  ADDRESS. 

"  Nearly  half  a  century  has  passed  since  the  act  occurred  which 
this  day  and  these  ceremonies  commemorate. 

**  Just  prior  to  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War,  William  Conway, 
occupying  a  subordinate  position  in  the  United  States  Navy, 
refused  to.lower  the  American  colors  at  the  command  of  those 
whom  he  knew  to  be  enemies  of  the  Union ;  and  to  this  beauti- 
ful town,  his  home,  have  come  now  the  members  of  Maine's 
Loyal  Legion  to  dedicate  a  tablet  of  enduring  bronze  that  shall 
tell  to  later  generations  the  story  of  William  Conway's  concep- 
tion of  his  duty  and  loyalty  to  his  country  and  his  flag.  The 
citizens  of  Camden,  animated  by  a  praiseworthy  desire  to  be 
sharers  of  his  fame,  have  made  generous  contribution  to  the 
monument  that  shall  perpetuate  it,  and  the  government  of  the 
United  States,  in  recognition  of  that  spirit  of  patriotism  which 
ever  was  and  ever  will  be  our  country's  real  defence,  has  assem- 
bled here  these  splendid  ships-of-war,  a  fitting  tribute  of  honor 
and  respect  from  that  navy  which  this  man  adorned  and  served 
so  well. 

**  And  to  all  present  the  State  of  Maine  extends  a  hearty  and 
grateful  welcome.  The  affection  of  our  people  is  the  steadfast 
possession  of  every  man  who  went  from  Maine  to  uphold  the 
integrity  of  the  Union,  and  the  State  delights  to  receive  within 
her  borders  the  representatives  of  a  navy  in  whose  glorious  tra- 
ditions she  claims  and  shares  a  heritage. 

"  The  survivors  of  a  great  war  are  the  keepers  of  its  best  and 
tenderest  memories ;  and  we  who  through  their  sacrifices  and 
the  sacrifices  of  their  fallen  comrades  enjoy  the  blessings  of  a 
united,  free  and  prosperous  country,  can  well  support  and 
applaud  their  efforts  to  preserve  the  name  and  deed  of  this 
Maine  sailor  who  in  his  country's  service  and  in  time  of  peril 
saw  only  his  duty  and  obeyed  its  call. 

31 


"  The  tablet  dedicated  here  but  repeats  the  simple  lesson,  ever 
old,  yet  ever  new,  that  patriotism,  courage,  sense  of  duty  and 
faithfulness  to  trust  are  qualities  that  have  not  yet  made  their 
last  appeal  to  American  manhood  and  womanhood ;  and  that 
these  qualities  may  endure  in  the  hearts  of  all  our  people  to 
increase  a  reverence  for  order  and  the  law  must  be  the  wish  of 
every  true  lover  of  his  country  and  of  every  believer  in  her 
institutions  and  her  destiny." 

Governor  Cobb  had  rightly  caught  the  spirit  of  the  occasion, 
and  as  he  spoke  the  chief  magistrate  of  Maine  admirably  voiced 
the  interest  which  the  people  of  the  State  manifested  in  the 
celebration. 

To  Major-General  J.  L.  Chamberlain,  the  most  distinguished 
of  Maine's  general  officers  in  the  Civil  War,  and  one  of  the 
earliest  Companions  of  the  Loyal  Legion,  had  been  assigned  the 
part  of  telling  the  story  of  William  Conway's  refusal  to  haul 
down  the  flag  at  the  Pensacola  Navy  Yard.  He  was  introduced 
by  Mr.  Hunt,  and  spoke  as  follows  : 

GENERAL  CHAMBERLAIN's  ADDRESS. 

•'  We  come  here  to  commemorate  not  a  deed  done  in  the  body, 
but  an  act  of  soul ;  the  refusal  of  a  manly  spirit  to  bend  the 
body  to  the  dishonoring  of  his  country's  flag.  An  act,  most  truly 
it  was,  and  one  of  highest  character  in  motive  and  significance. 

"  Yet  it  was  well-nigh  lost  from  current  thought.  On-moving 
life  absorbs  its  heroic  age.  The  power  of  a  great  deed  passes 
into  the  strength  of  a  people ;  but  too  often  the  deed  itself  sinks 
from  thought,  except  in  some  great  moment  or  exalted  mood. 

"To-day,  after  many  years,  we  come  to  testify  that  time  has 
no  power  to  dim  the  recognition  of  an  act  of  lofty  loyalty  and 
heroic  courage  in  the  nation's  name ;  and  to  set  up  a  memorial 
that  passing  life  may  take  cheer,  seeing  what  it  is  capable  of  in 
'  the  times  that  try  men's  souls.' 

"The  generation  around  us,  enjoying  the  deep  peace  and  wide 
prosperity  of  our  country,  and  proud  of  her  power,  can  know 
but  little  of  that  passage  of  momentous  peril  when  mad  passion 

32 


and  tumultuous  strife  rent  the  nation's  heart.  Nor  do  present 
conditions  permit  the  circumstances  attending  this  act  to  be  set 
forth  in  terms  realistic  enough  to  enable  all  to  appreciate  fully 
the  sharpness  of  the  test,  the  loftiness  of  the  resolution  which 
rose  to  meet  it. 

"  The  story  in  words  is  simple.  The  scene  is  the  United  States 
Navy  Yard  at  Pensacola,  one  of  the  most  important  and  best 
appointed  in  the  country.  The  day  is  the  twelfth  of  January, 
1 86 1, —  two  days  after  some  citizens  of  Florida  had  declared 
that  State  out  of  the  Union.  The  occasion  is  the  appearance  on 
that  day,  of  two  gentlemen, —  one  of  them  formerly  an  officer  of 
the  United  States  Navy, —  claiming  to  be  commissioners  of  the 
State  of  Florida,  and  supported  by  a  large  force  of  armed  men, 
demanding  the  surrender  of  that  station  with  all  its  munitions 
and  belongings. 

"  It  was  a  surprising  demand.  The  United  States  was  not  at 
war  with  the  State  of  Florida ;  and  this  ground  was  never  part 
of  the  State  of  Florida,  but  was  a  port  and  naval  station  of  the 
United  States  more  than  twenty  years  before  Florida  was  made 
a  State  of  the  Union, —  that  territory  having  passed  by  the 
treaty  of  1 8 1 9  directly  from  the  sovereignty  of  Spain  to  that  of 
the  United  States. 

"  But  the  demand  seems  to  have  stupified  the  captain  com- 
manding this  station.  The  disloyal  sentiment  and  excitement  in 
that  part  of  the  country  were  well-known  to  him.  Exhibitions  of 
it  were  rife  within  his  own  precincts.  Warnings,  moreover,  and 
positive  orders  to  be  vigilant  for  the  protection  of  this  post  had 
been  sent  to  him  from  Washington.  He  paid  little  attention  to 
either  facts  or  orders,  and  the  hostile  force  was  allowed  to  enter 
the  grounds  without  resistance,  although  he  had  a  company  of 
faithful  marines  and  some  loyal  workmen  at  hand  ;  and  two 
ships  of  war  under  his  orders  were  lying  within  range.  Upon 
demand  of  the  commissioners  he  at  once  surrendered,  and 
turned  over  to  the  invading  force  the  Pensacola  Navy  Yard  with 
all  its  stores  and  munitions,  and  left  its  officers  and  men  to  be 
treated  as  prisoners  of  war. 

33 


"  The  order  to  haul  down  the  flag  of  the  United  States  was 
passed  from  the  executive  officer  to  the  senior  heutenant, —  both 
of  them  open  sympathizers  with  the  usurpers, —  and  came  to 
William  Conway,  a  veteran  quartermaster  of  the  United  States 
Navy,  who,  receiving  the  order,  straightened  himself  up  in  body 
like  his  spirit,  and  to  the  face  of  his  official  superiors  gave  this 
answer  :  *  That  is  the  flag  of  my  country.  I  have  given  my 
life  to  it.     I  will  not  haul  it  down !  ' 

"  They  threatened  to  cut  him  down  for  disobedience,  but  he 
stood  fast  in  his  refusal.  He  was  placed  in  arrest,  for  further 
dealing.  Other  less  noble  hands  were  found,  and  the  old  flag 
came  down.  The  face  of  high  noon  beheld  it  darkened  in  the 
dust. 

"  Of  the  officers  who  were  actors  here,  the  two  subordinates 
referred  to, —  a  captain  and  a  lieutenant  of  the  navy, —  speedily 
entered  the  Confederate  service ;  the  surrendering  captain,  tried 
by  a  naval  court  martial  for  neglect  of  duty,  disobedience  of 
orders  and  conduct  unbecoming  an  officer,  was  found  guilty  of 
all,  and  mildly  punished  by  five  years'  suspension  from  command 
and  a  public  reprimand  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy. 

"  The  court,  moved  by  the  testimony  as  to  the  conduct  of 
William  Conway  earnestly  recommended  to  the  department  that 
a  suitable  mark  of  official  approbation  be  bestowed  on  him  for 
his  manly  and  patriotic  behavior.  This  was  fittingly  done  in 
general  orders  published  throughout  the  navy.  A  testimonial 
of  admiration,  with  a  commemorative  gold  medal,  was  also  sent 
to  Conway  by  New  England  men  in  California,  and  was  pre- 
sented to  him  accompanied  with  a  highly  commendatory  personal 
letter  from  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  on  the  quarter-deck  of 
the  warship  *  Mississippi,'  amidst  the  enthusiastic  plaudits  of 
the  whole  ship's  company.  He  continued  in  his  station  in  the 
navy  quietly  and  unnoticed,  as  he  also  died,  and  was  buried  in  a 
soon  forgotten  grave  in  Brooklyn  Navy  Yard. 

"It  is,  as  I  said,  a  simple  story.  The  actor  in  it  did  not  dream 
he  was  a  hero ;  did  not  imagine  he  was  to  be  noticed,  except  for 
punishment  for  disobedience  of  orders.     He  was  not  acting  for 

34 


the  eyes  of  men,  but  from  the  behest  of  a  manly,  single  soul 
daring  to  be  true  amidst  every  circumstance  dark  and  forbidding. 

"  But  darkness  could  not  hold  that  diamond  record  ;  no  name- 
less grave  hide  that  manhood.  We  behold  him  lifted  up  in 
light,  for  the  eyes  of  men ;  radiating  light,  for  our  admiration 
and  inspiration.  To-day,  the  man  and  his  flag  stand  on  high 
together.     Dear  as  he  held  it,  it  holds  him  to-day. 

"  What  is  a  flag  ?  It  is  the  symbol  of  a  faith,  an  authority,  a 
power.  To  be  held  aloft,  to  be  seen  and  known,  to  be  defended, 
vindicated,  followed,  borne  forward,  in  the  name  and  token  of 
its  right.  When  the  flag  is  that  of  country,  and  a  free  country, 
it  enfolds  deeper  meaning.  It  stands  not  only  for  a  faith,  but 
for  a  covenant ;  it  is  sacred,  not  only  as  the  symbol  of  authority 
and  power,  but  of  great  trusts  for  human  well-being,  for  right 
and  freedom,  and  all  the  sanctities  of  life.  It  is  dear,  not  only 
for  what  has  gone  out  from  it  for  protection  and  peace,  but  for 
what  has  gone  into  it  of  toil  and  treasure,  of  precious  blood  and 
tears,  of  overpassing  devotion  and  sacrifice.  It  stands  for  the 
all-comprehending  social  order  which  gives  value  to  our  work 
and  our  life.  Hence  among  human  rights,  we  hold  that  of 
country  supreme.  For  this  we  reverence  and  love  the  flag  and 
are  sensitive  of  its  honor  at  the  cost,  if  need  be,  of  our  lives. 

"  If  we  can  take  in  the  reach  of  this  thought,  we  can  appreci- 
ate the  conduct  of  William  Conway.  Note  the  marks  of  it ! 
Honor ;  truth  to  trust ;  keeping  of  faith ;  loyalty  to  principle ; 
right  reason  discriminating  among  conflicting  orders  ;  determin- 
ing the  rank  of  pretending  authorities  and  of  his  own  present 
duties.  He  could  not  legally  have  been  blamed  if  he  had 
obeyed  the  orders  of  his  appointed  superiors  still  in  the  commis- 
sion of  the  United  States.  But  higher  thoughts  held  his  heart. 
It  was  not  the  simple  hauling  down  of  the  flag.  That  came 
down  with  tender  glory  at  every  sunset.  But  it  was  the  dis- 
honoring of  the  flag,  emblem  of  his  country's  honor,  which  he 
would  lend  no  hand  to.  He  disobeyed  orders,  to  obey  the 
greater  covenant  with  his  country !  This  is  what  I  called  a 
lofty  loyalty. 

35 


"  Then,  too,  it  was  heroic  courage.  Daring  for  the  right,  over- 
ruling the  commonplace  of  obedience  to  orders  and  the  long 
habit  which  years  of  discipline  had  made  a  second  nature.  It  was 
no  light  ordeal  to  encounter  what  he  did.  Around  him, —  except 
the  little  band  of  United  States  marines  —  spiritless,  paltering 
shapes  of  men ;  confronting  him,  overwhelming  hostile  forces  in 
impudent,  insulting  array ;  above  him,  commissioned  superiors 
irresolute  and  weak,  or  pledged  in  heart  to  his  country's  enemies, 
having  power  to  cut  him  down  for  hesitating  at  orders, —  this  one 
man,  William  Conway,  born  in  far-away  Maine,  taking  life  from 
the  breath  of  your  mountain  and  your  sea, —  this  one  hero  of 
the  situation,  the  superior  of  his  commissioned  superiors,  by  the 
manhood  that  was  in  him  constituted  the  superior  of  the  whole 
motley  crowd  around, —  he  alone  refusing  to  be  the  creature  of 
his  environment,  because  he  was  the  creature  of  his  God ! 

"Think  you  we  can  confer  honor  on  him  ?  He  it  is  who  has 
done  us  honor,  and  we  tell  the  world,  tell  the  eternal  mountains 
and  seas  and  skies  that  he  is  ours.  That  is  our  glory  ;  all  the 
rest  is  his. 

"  Most  worthily  has  his  native  town  set  here  her  kindred  rock 
for  time-enduring  token.  Most  fittingly,  the  Commandery  of 
Maine,  Military  Order  of  the  Loyal  Legion  of  the  United  States, 
inscribed  on  an  imperishable  tablet  this  consummate  loyalty. 
To  claim  part  in  this  remembrance,  you  gather  here,  glad  dwell- 
ers in  this  region  of  his  birthplace,  though  never  having  seen  his 
form,  and  knowing  the  fashion  of  his  face  only  by  the  radiance 
of  his  act ;  you,  veterans  of  the  costly  vindication  of  the  peo- 
ple's right  to  be ;  and  you,  from  afar,  bringing  the  response  of 
every  high  heart  of  the  world. 

''Drawn  hither  also  are  our  potentates  ;  you,  honored  Governor, 
bearing  the  salutation  of  the  State ;  you,  makers  and  messengers 
of  the  regenerated  nation's  peace ;  and  you,  representing  her 
power,  in  the  high  command  and  manning  of  these  mighty  ships 
of  war,  to  whom  especially  is  committed  the  honor  of  the  flag 
on  all  seas  and  stations,  bringing  here  your  young  men  for  this 
high  lesson. 

36 


"  Now  aloft  on  every  topmost  pinnacle  runs  for  this  token  the 
reverenced,  redeemed  old  flag ;  and  the  authority,  the  dignity, 
the  majesty  of  the  United  States  of  America  voices  in  the 
thunder  of  her  guns  of  power  what  she  accounts  the  man  who, 
alone,  amidst  the  threatening,  the  fearing,  the  forsaking,  the 
surrendering,  stood  for  her  honor  I " 

The  last  speaker  was  Acting-Master  John  O.  Johnson,  whose 
paper  read  before  the  Loyal  Legion,  December  6,  1905,  first 
called  the  attention  of  the  Commandery  to  Camden's  "  Forgot- 
ten Hero."  At  once  he  captured  the  great  audience  by  a  story, 
and  in  a  brief,  but  graphic  address  he  fittingly  closed  the  ser- 
vices at  the  park. 

CAPTAIN  Johnson's  address. 

"  While  listening  with  profound  interest  to  the  gentlemen  who 
have  preceded  me,  my  thoughts  have  turned  back  to  the  ques- 
tion propounded  so  long  ago  by  the  patriarch  Job,  '  If  a  man 
die  shall  he  live  again  ? '  That  question  has  never  yet  been 
answered  in  a  manner  satisfactory  to  all,  and  it  never  will  be. 
But  if  the  question  had  been  this :  *  If  a  man's  name  die,  shall 
it  live  again .? '  I  think  from  the  events  taking  place  here  to-day 
that  the  question  can  be  answered  in  a  manner  satisfactory  to 
all  —  that  if  a  man's  name  die,  it  may  live  again. 

"A  little  more  than  one  year  ago,  the  name  of  William  Conway 
was  dead  —  dead  to  all  intents  and  purposes,  and  not  to  his 
country  alone,  but  to  his  native  town.  I  had  known  him  before 
the  war,  and  the  events  at  the  Pensacola  Navy  Yard  in  1861 
had  made  a  deep  impression  on  my  mind.  But  after  those 
events  I  had  lost  sight  of  him.  Having  written  an  article  in 
relation  to  the  Pensacola  affair  for  publication  in  the  Rockland 
Courier-Gazette,  for  the  completion  of  my  story  I  came  to  Cam- 
den to  learn  if  I  could  what  his  end  had  been,  having  no  doubt 
but  that  I  should  find  what  I  required.  My  first  disappoint- 
ment was  when  I  drove  into  the  town  past  the  beautiful  monu- 
ment bearing  the  names  of  the  country's  defenders,  who  went 

37 


from  Camden  and  died  in  the  service.  I  scanned  these  names 
closely,  but  I  did  not  find  Conway's  name  among  the  number. 
I  then  went  into  the  town,  and  there  commenced  an  inquiry 
concerning  him.  To  my  great  surprise  I  could  find  no  one  who 
had  known  him,  or  had  ever  heard  of  him,  till  at  length  a  friend 
of  mine,  a  member  of  Cobb  Post,  G.  A.  R.,  who  had  lived  in 
the  town  thirty-five  years,  and  had  not  heard  of  the  old  sailor, 
told  me  there  was  a  lady  named  Conway  living  in  Camden,  and 
kindly  took  me  to  her  place.  She  proved  to  be  a  niece  of 
William  Conway,  and  from  her  I  learned  that  she  and  another 
niece,  Mrs.  L.  E.  Robbins,  of  Thomaston,  were  all  the  relatives 
remaining ;  that  the  medal  given  to  Conway  was  in  the  posses- 
sion of  Mrs.  Robbins ;  and  that  she  had  heard  Conway  died  in 
New  York  in  1865. 

"But  the  name  of  him  who  was  dead  is  very  much  alive  to-day. 
It  is  on  the  lips  of  every  person  in  Camden  who  can  speak  the 
English  language,  and  it  is  engraven  on  a  memorial  that  will 
last  as  long  as  granite  and  bronze  shall  endure. 

"  The  action  taken  by  the  Loyal  Legion  and  the  town  of  Cam- 
den in  thus  honoring  the  name  of  this  old  hero  is  because  he 
honored  the  old  flag.  His  name  in  turn  honors  us,  for  the 
names  of  the  Loyal  Legion  and  the  town  of  Camden  will  go 
down  the  ages  side  by  side  with  that  of  William  Conway,  thus 
forming  a  triumvirate  of  loyalty  to  the  flag  of  our  country. 

"  The  people  of  Camden  builded  better  than  they  knew  when 
they  placed  the  memorial  boulder  at  the  corner  of  a  public  thor- 
oughfare, and  in  a  schoolhouse  yard.  With  the  tablet  in  such  a 
position,  he  who  runs  may  read,  and  the  school  children,  not 
only  of  this  generation  but  of  generations  to  come,  will  have 
instilled  into  their  young  minds  patriotism  and  loyalty  to  the 
flag  in  a  school  of  example. 

"What  is  more  thrilling  than  the  tale  of  the  humble  but  sturdy 
old  sailor,  standing  almost  alone,  faithful  among  the  faithless ! 
When  the  order  came  to  haul  down  the  flag  of  his  country  at 
the  behest  of  a  traitor  disgracing  the  uniform  of  an  officer  in 
the  United  States  Navy,  he  indignantly  refused,  and  the  traitor 

38 


officer  had  to  perform  the  dastardly  deed  himself.  The  flag 
came  down  in  disgrace,  but  there  were  loyal  hearts  on  board 
the  '  Wyandotte '  and  the  sloop-of-war  '  Supply ; '  and  as  they 
saw  the  flag  come  down  at  the  navy  yard,  up  went  every  inch 
of  bunting  on  board  of  those  two  vessels  in  defiance  of  the  dis- 
graceful act.  The  gallant  Lieutenant  Slemmer  of  the  army, 
who  had  taken  possession  of  Fort  Pickens  but  two  days  before, 
not  finding  any  flagstaff  on  which  to  hoist  a  flag,  hung  the  Stars 
and  Stripes  out  over  the  outer  walls  of  the  fort  to  show  the 
rebels  at  Pensacola  that  the  old  flag  still  lived ;  and  it  continued 
to  live,  though  during  four  long  years  of  terrible  war  it  was  car- 
ried through  fire  and  flood,  its  folds  bathed  in  tears  and  blood, 
till  at  the  last  it  waved  triumphantly  over  every  inch  of  a  reuni- 
ted country,  and  from  the  masthead  of  every  United  States 
ship,  on  every  sea,  with  all  the  stars  floating  in  the  blue. 

Over  land  of  freedom 

Float  forever  on ; 
Emblem  of  a  nation, 

Gift  of  Washington. 
Hail  the  glorious  standard 

Of  the  brave  and  true  ; 
All  the  stars  are  floating 

In  the  blue. 

"  Do  the  younger  people  of  this  generation  comprehend  what 
it  cost  in  blood  and  in  tears  to  keep  the  old  flag  in  the  air  during 
that  long  struggle  for  a  nation's  life  ?  In  that  great  conflict, 
three  hundred  thousand  brave  men,  to  keep  the  old  flag 
flying  and  preserve  us  a  nation,  went  down  in  death,  leaving 
more  than  a  million  of  widows,  orphans  and  dependent  parents 
in  tears.  Let  us  honor  the  old  flag  1  Let  us  all  off  hats  when 
it  goes  by ! 

Hats  off ! 
Along  the  street  there  comes 
A  blare  of  bugles,  a  ruffle  of  drums, 
A  flash  of  color  beneath  the  sky  ; 

Hats  off ! 
The  flag  is  passing  by. 

39 


Blue  and  crimson  and  white  it  shines, 
Over  the  steel-tipped,  ordered  lines. 

Hats  off  ! 
The  colors  before  us  fly  ; 
But  more  than  the  flag  is  passing  by. 

Sea  fights  and  land  fights,  grim  and  great, 
Fought  to  make  and  to  save  the  state. 
Weary  marches,  and  sinking  ships  ; 
Cheers  of  victory  on  dying  lips. 

Days  of  plenty  and  days  of  peace  ; 
March  of  a  strong  land's  swift  increase  ; 
Equal  justice,  right  and  law. 
Stately  honor,  and  reverent  awe. 

Sign  of  a  nation,  great  and  strong 

To  ward  her  people  from  foreign  wrong  ; 

Pride  and  glory  and  honor,  all 

Live  in  the  colors  to  stand  or  fall. 

Hats  off ! 
Along  the  street  there  comes 
A  blare  of  bugles,  a  ruffle  of  drums  ; 
And  loyal  hearts  are  beating  high. 

Hats  off  ! 
The  flag  is  passing  by  !  ^  " 


Before  the  two  admirals  and  their  staffs  left  the  platform,  the 
gold  medal,  presented  to  Conway  on  the  deck  of  the  frigate 
"Mississippi"  in  1861,  was  exhibited  to  them  and  to  the  other 
officers  of  the  fleet. 

The  procession  was  promptly  reformed,  and  soon,  in  the  same 
order  as  in  the  earlier  part  of  the  afternoon,  was  on  the  way  to 
the  Conway  memorial,  where  the  unveiling  followed.  An 
immense  crowd  filled  the  streets  in  the  vicinity  of  the  memorial. 
Good-naturedly,  as  the  procession  approached,  the  crowd  gave 
way  to  the  bluejackets,  and  they  were  soon  halted  on  School 
and  Elm  Streets.  Near  the  memorial,  the  carriages  of  Governor 
Cobb  and  his  staff,  and  those  of  the  two  admirals  and  the  other 
officers  of  the  fleet,  drew  up.  The  members  of  the  Loyal 
Legion  grouped  themselves  in  the  immediate  rear  of  the  boulder. 

*  H.  H.  Bennett  in  Youth's  Companion. 

40 


General  John  T.  Richards,  Commander  of  the  Loyal  Legion,  in 
a  voice  that  could  be  heard  far  out  in  the  crowd  filling  the 
neighboring  streets,  read  the  inscription  that  had  been  placed 
on  the  boulder,  reciting  Conway's  heroic  conduct  at  the  Pensa- 
cola  Navy  Yard,  which  the  memorial  commemorates. 

WILLIAM  CONWAY, 

QUARTERMASTER   U.    S.    NAVY, 

A  NATIVE   OF  CAMDEN, 

ON  DUTY  AT  THE   PENSACOLA   NAVY  YARD,   JANUARY   12,    1861, 

WAS    ORDERED  TO   HAUL    DOWN   THE  AMERICAN   FLAG 

IN   TOKEN   OF  SURRENDER. 

HE    INDIGNANTLY   REFUSED. 

HONORING    HIS    STURDY    LOYALTY 

THE  TOWN   OF   CAMDEN   ERECTS   THIS   BOULDER 

TO    HIS   MEMORY,  AND 

THE   MAINE  COMMANDERY  OF  THE  MILITARY   ORDER 

OF  THE   LOYAL   LEGION   OF  THE  UNITED   STATES 

ADDS   THIS  TABLET. 

1906. 

At  a  signal  given  by  General  Richards  at  the  close  of  the 
reading  of  the  inscription,  two  members  of  the  Loyal  Legion  — 
General  Charles  Hamlin,  son  of  Hon.  Hannibal  Hamlin,  Vice- 
President  of  the  United  States,  1861-1865,  holding  in  his  hands 
one  of  the  ropes  used  in  the  unveiling,  and  Acting-Master  John 
O.  Johnson,  the  other, —  attended  to  the  duty  that  had  been 
assigned  to  them,  and  at  once  the  large  American  fiag^  which 
had  covered  the  boulder  was  suspended  in  the  air  above  it. 
Meanwhile  the  battleships  far  out  in  the  bay  were  thundering 
forth  a  national  salute  of  twenty-one  guns.  No  bluejacket  of 
our  navy  had  ever  before  received  such  an  honor. 

It  was  now  five  minutes  of  three  —  five  minutes  ahead  of  the 
designated  time  —  as  the  officers  in  command  of  the  sailors 
from  the  fleet  shouted  the  word  of  command,  and  the  seven 
companies  from  the  battleships  started  down  the  street  on  their 
way  to  the  landing.     At  four  o'clock  Rear-Admiral  Evans*  fleet 

1  This  flag  was  made  during  the  Civil  War  by  Helen  Philbrook,  a  former  resident  of 
Camden,  and  had  on  it  the  same  number  of  stars  as  the  flag  that  Conway  refused  to  haul 
down. 

41 


was  moving  southward  out  of  the  bay,  the  new  navy  having  paid 
its  highest  honors  to  a  loyal  sailor  of  the  old  navy.  Admiral 
Evans  did  not  leave,  however,  without  an  expression,  both  on 
the  part  of  the  Loyal  Legion  and  the  people  of  Camden,  appre- 
ciative of  all  that  he  had  done  to  make  the  celebration  a  worthy 
one. 

In  front  of  the  Bay  View  House,  from  four  to  five  o'clock, 
the  band  from  the  National  Home  at  Togus  gave  a  concert 
which  was  greatly  enjoyed  by  the  people  of  Camden  and  the 
visitors  the  celebration  had  assembled.  Gradually,  as  the  day 
drew  to  a  close,  the  crowd  disappeared,  and  the  Conway  memo- 
rial in  the  schoolhouse  yard  was  left  to  tell  its  story  of  fidelity 
and  patriotism  to  the  generations  that  are  to  come. 


42 


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